Medieval Foundations
This philosopher famously argued for a starting point of faith with the phrase, “Believe so that you may understand.”
St. Augustine
This 14th-century scholar is known as the “Father of Humanism” for his revival of classical Greek and Roman texts.
Petrarch
René Descartes’s indubitable first principle, "I think, therefore I am," is known by this Latin phrase.
Cogito Ergo Sum
This 1513 work by Niccolo Machiavelli advised rulers to focus on what “must” be done rather than what “should” be done.
The Prince
This fundamental shift in Unit 2 describes the transition of truth from being a "given" by external institutions to being a "discovery" made by the individual mind
Which philosopher tried to prove the existence of God through an explanation involving a causal chain of events
Avicenna
Desiderius Erasmus championed this theological concept, the idea that God and humanity work together for salvation.
Synergism
Often called the “Father of Empiricism,” this thinker argued that knowledge must be based on observation rather than ancient authority.
Sir Francis Bacon
Machiavelli famously argued that if a leader cannot be both, it is safer to be this than to be loved.
Feared
Avicenna used this term to describe a thing that requires an external cause in order to exist.
a contingent thing
Explain why Luther's criticism were so impactful and spread so widely
The printing press
Explain Cartesian Dualism
The mind and body are seperare and distinct entities; human beings are not just bodies
This political approach focuses on power, stability, and results rather than moral ideals or utopias.
According to St. Thomas Aquinas, this is the “first precept” of law that all human reason can discover.
"Good is to be done and pursued, and evil is to be avoided"
Explain Luther's key criticisms of the Church/religion authority
- sale of indulgences
- people did not have direct access to religious texts themselves
Descartes used this radical skeptical argument to wonder if a powerful being was tricking him into believing even mathematical truths were real.
Evil deceiver
How would Machivelli describe our human nature?
self-interested
unreliable
changeable
often motivated by fear, gain, or survival
Compare how St. Augustine and Aquinas differd in how they thought we gain knowledge.
Turning inward vs. studying and encountering the world through the sense
Explain what renaissance humanism focused on
A secular worldview
Reason and science for decision making rather than revelation
Human agency and personal responsibility for choices and life
Meaning is created by the individual rather than the divine
Human suffering and how to promote flourishing
Democracy and a progressive society
Explain Bacon's four idols
• Idols of the Tribe: Innate cognitive biases common to all humanity (misinterpreting data, relying on senses).
• Idols of the Cave: Personal prejudices arising from individual upbringing, education, or habits.
• Idols of the Market: Errors arising from the false significance and misuse of language and communication.
• Idols of the Theatre: False dogmas from philosophical systems, tradition, or authority.
Advocated for amorality, an absence or indifference to moral principles; different than immorality. Actions which might be considered immoral are to be viewed only as a last resort of “necessity”